Falling Down
by Nejko
Summary: Sakura finally wants to meet Uchiha Itachi, her team-mates older brother. But when she finally comes face to face with him he isn't quite how she expected him to be... Non-massarce AU
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**The link to the Cover Image can be found on my profile. :)**

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Sakura, lost in thoughts, was currently strolling along the market of Konoha, looking for something to make for dinner. On normal days, she would chat with the vendors, hear out the complaints of the elderly people about their back pain and buy some sweets for the kids playing in the area. But not now, no she kept walking, oblivious to her surroundings.

To Sakura's utmost agitation, she never met him. Him being her stupid team-mates brother, Uchiha Itachi. She didn't understand how, after years of being in the academy together and seven years of being in the same team, all that time visiting the Uchiha compound every week, _she never met him._

She heard about him though. From Sasuke when he was younger, tales about how awesome his brother was and as he got older tales about how he hated his brother only to blush whenever he told about how Itachi praised him for something. Thinking about it, when did Sasuke become such a tsundere?

She heard about him from Ino, who she was secretly envious of for seeing him before her. According to Ino, he was 'a fine piece of ass', a statement that was echoed by most women and some men in the village.

So Sakura really wanted to meet him. Even Naruto met him already, dammit!

Her musings were stopped by nearly running into a tree. Huh, so she left the market place already. She was near the training grounds, the first houses of the village already out of sight. That's when she heard someone in the distance. Considering she was near the training grounds they were probably training.

Maybe it was someone she knew, Sakura thought and followed the sounds.

And there she found him. Uchiha Itachi. There was no doubt, his dark luscious hair and fine lines under his eyes had been described to her many times. He was handsome indeed, spinning in the air as he threw numerous kunai towards the targets scattered across the trees, hitting the centre of each. The tales of his talent and skill as a shinobi were true too.

He must've noticed her presence already, but apparently he wouldn't bother to acknowledge her, which was fine with Sakura. For the moment at last, as she had no idea what to say to him. Would he recognise her? Surely he would know Sasuke's team-mates and no one else in this village had pink hair. So he had to know her, didn't he?

She just needed something to say to him, something that wasn't awkward and weird preferably.

Just then, Itachi returned to the ground permanently and turned around to face her.

When he made the first step towards her, at this point Sakura was freaking out because _she was not ready for this_, he tripped over a kunai lying next to him and fell face-first on the ground.

For a second he just lay there, then his head turned up and Sakura's medic-mode immediately wanted to tend to his scraped forehead. He looked at her and his eyes seemed to ask her if she saw everything. Silently she nodded, frozen in place because Uchiha Itachi, the elite ANBU captain did not just trip and fall.

Mortification crossed his eyes and the next instant he dissolved into a murder of crows that scattered into every direction.

What the hell just happened?

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**AN: Hello beautiful people! ****This came to be through my effort to write more. It's my goal to update everyday and the chapters will have different lengths, that depends on my inspiration and mood. The rating is K for now, but who knows what I'll write so that might change.  
**

**Basically, I want to write a whole fanfic about Itachi being clumsy. So he will probably be majorly OOC, although he will only behave that way when Sakura is around. I am a total fan of adorkable!Itachi and I plan to use my love for inspiration! **

**Reviews are very much appreciated! Feel free to correct my grammar, spelling errors, plot holes and anything else you find. English is not my first language so I am grateful for any help to improve. :)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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"_I guess no one can be perfect and graceful all the time", _Sakura thought on her way home. She was still confused as to what happened. Uchiha Itachi fell on his face. His beautiful face._"I wonder how he's going to explain that. But if he's anything like Sasuke he won't. Maybe he even knows some healing jutsu."_

Arriving at her apartment building, she realised that she forgot to buy something for dinner. Oh well, cereal would have to do for tonight.

The next day, she met up with her team for training. Naruto and Sasuke were already there, fighting as usual.

"_Should I ask Sasuke-kun about what happened yesterday? But Itachi-san seemed to be just fine..."_

Shoving her thoughts into the back of her mind to deal with later, she forcefully separated Sasuke and Naruto, effectively starting the training session. It lasted for a few hours and after Kakashi arrived, Naruto continued to spar with him while Sasuke and Sakura took a quick break.

Now that her mind wasn't occupied anymore, she really wanted to ask Sasuke about Itachi. The curiosity was killing her.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura started innocently. She would have to be careful with this. She couldn't just go and accuse Itachi of being clumsy, Sasuke wouldn't take that too well.

"Hn?" Sasuke answered warily, not fooled in the least. Something was suspicious about the way she asked.

"Is Itachi-san a very coordinated person?", there she said it. Now she had to watch out for his reaction.

Sasuke, forgetting all his caution, immediately went into defensive-mode. "Of course he is. Never in my life have I seen him mess anything up. That bastard is too perfect to do something wrong. He's always the best at everything he does..."

Sakura let him continue talking and filtered the sound of his voice out of her hearing. This rant could take a while.

So it really was unusual for Itachi to be so uncoordinated. This could be bad, some diseases caused problems with coordination. When she saw him the next time, she would pay attention to his mannerisms. But that would be difficult, she didn't know how he usually reacted. So she had to wait until other people also realised that something was wrong with him.

When training was over, Sakura decided to again try and buy something for dinner from he evening market. She couldn't always eat at Ichiraku's, her sodium levels would explode and only Naruto could handle that.

When she passed the Naka River, she saw a figure seemingly mediating on the water. She stooped in her tracks. It was Uchiha Itachi. Again. Sasuke once told her that his brother liked mediating on the surface of the water, stating it was calming.

But something was weird, she never saw him once in all her 19 years of life and now twice in two days. Fishy.

In that moment, he looked up and saw her. The scraped part of his forehead was smooth and uninjured again, so he really did heal it. His eyes widened just a fraction, and the next moment he was gone. He hadn't used the _Shunshin no Jutsu_ though. No, apparently he lost control over his chakra and sank into the river.

Concerned, Sakura darted to the river bank to see if he was alright. The fact that he couldn't use his chakra properly worried her. _"Something is wrong with him after all"_

Relieve flashed through her when she saw him emerge from the water, just a few meters away from her. She made a step towards him, but his eyes seemed to tell her 'please don't talk to me' and so she just watched him shunshin away.

He would probably miss dinner tonight. Sakura doubted he would return home completely soaked.

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**AN: Thank you, everyone who reviewed or put this story to their follows/favourites! :)**

**I changed the rating to T, because I feel like I will be more free in what to write. **

**Reviews are very much appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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It was a nice day in Konoha. She birds were singing, a few clouds travelled over the clear blue sky and the temperature was just right. Not too hot and not too cold.

The Uchiha compound was busy this afternoon. Children were playing on the streets while the adults visited family or left the compound to spend time inside the village. Outsiders specifically came to the compound to buy weapons or foods that were sold in the shops.

Itachi sat on the porch of his house with a book and a cup of tea. But he just couldn't concentrate on the letters.

The events of the last few days were humiliating. Never in his life did he feel as embarrassed as he did in those moments. That was why he was avoiding her. It should not have been a difficult task, they still officially did not know each other.

However, fate seemed to hate him these days. Yesterday, when he returned from the training grounds he saw her in the distance. He quickly turned around hoping to avoid a direct confrontation and ran face first into a tree.

Nobody was around to see and this time even Sakura went by without noticing him. The shame still burned hot on his cheeks.

He would stay home today and even if she came to visit Sasuke, they would be in the kitchen of living room, on the other side of the house.

"Itachi? Please come shopping with me. You can't stay inside like this all day.", the voice of his mother sounded through the Shoji.

A deep sigh left him. Rejecting her request was not option. It never was with his mother. He would just have to be careful and not run into Sakura.

Of course, luck was not on his side.

"Oh, look Itachi, there's Sakura! Come to think of it, you never met each other right? Come here, Ita-chan, I'll introduce you!", Mikoto cheerfully began to make her way through the crowd towards a head of pink hair. It was strange that his mother was calling him "Ita-chan", she only did that when she was excited. Itachi had no choice but to follow her. He could not avoid her forever and his mother would get suspicious if he refused.

His mistake became apparent the closer he got to her. She was beautiful and he suddenly; _stupidly_ had the urge to tell her so. At least his mother was there, he would not have to say much. Mikoto was already standing beside Sakura, chatting amiably.

"Oh, Ita-chan, look the tomatoes from Sasuke's favourite vendor are almost sold out. Introduce yourself, I will just go and fetch some real quick." With there words she abandoned him.

Sakura was watching him expectantly. Her bright green eyes sparkling in the sun and a smile lightening her face. He wasn't sure he could speak properly at that moment.

No, he could not make a fool out of himself again. He would be stoic and composed as always. _And he would definitely not tell her she was beautiful._

"Nice to meet you, Sakura-san. I am beautiful."

Time seemed to stop. Itachi stood frozen on his spot, completely overwhelmed by the weight of his failure. He would have to correct himself, but how? Should he explain that he thought her to be beautiful? No, that would only be awkward. Itachi was not used to this kind of situation. He never lost his composure, except when Sakura was around. Then his stoic mask would fall and he would act like an idiot.

Sakura's confused look was directed at him. He would have to act fast. But just as he decided to simply repeat the whole sentence and pretend nothing ever happened, she chose to reply.

"Okay. Nice to meet you too, Itachi-san." she said, her confused look vanishing, being replaced by a sweet smile.

_Okay._

He had no clue how to react anymore. Since his youth, he always tried to tell himself that he wasn't socially inept, but that was proven wrong today. At least she knew his name, it could have been even worse if she did not.

He still had to do something. And her smile did not help. He was distracted. Itachi just hoped that they would never go to any missions together, ever. He would probably die and he could not do that to Sasuke.

But he could do this. He was an ANBU captain since age 13 after all. And the best and safest strategy was always retreat, so he did just that.

Itachi really hoped Sakura was not the type to gossip, if his mother and/or cousin heard about this they would never let it go.

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**AN: Thank you so much for reviewing and liking and following this story. I'm really happy about that! :)**

**Itachi is hard to write, and he's definitely OOC as soon as he meets Sakura. I also had way too much fun with this chapter.**

**Reviews are very much appreaciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto**

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Itachi was on edge. It was strange, being so tense inside the village. This feeling was usually reserved for missions but today he was facing an equally dangerous situation.

He was in the hospital.

Where Haruno Sakura worked.

Every instinct told him to flee, but he had to complete today's check-up, otherwise he would not be allowed to do missions. The only relieve he had was that she would not be he one to run the check-up since ANBU had their own doctors.

Two weeks had gone by since his dreadful introduction. He tried his best to forget it, but sooner or later he would have to face her again. As stupid as it was, he even wanted to see her again. In a moment of weakness, his icy mask fell and he brought a hand to his forehead with a deep sigh.

"_I truly am a fool." _he thought unhappily. But he could not help himself, his heart skipped a beat every time he saw Sakura.

He knew he was just infatuated with her. Yet he yearned to get to know her, to talk to her about her likes and dislikes, to learn much more about her.

The first time he saw her was when he came back from a mission with his team. They were travelling through the trees and he spotted her sitting by a creek, examining herbs that grew by the water. Her pink hair shone brightly in the sun, the leaves and branches creating a pattern of light and shadow on the lush grass around her. He nearly lost his footing then.

However, it wasn't until the second time that he felt the urge to interact with her. That was also the only time that he did not embarrass himself in any way but simply watched her from afar. He was sitting on a branch high in the treetop of an old oak when he saw her walk by. He watched her with interest as she suddenly bent down and picked up a snail that was trying to cross the path. Picking it up by the shell, she securely relocated it onto a leaf.

To someone like Itachi, who dealt with murder and death for most of his life, that small gesture of valuing life felt really important. She could have ignored it, leaving it to the danger of someone crushing it, but she chose to make sure it was safe.

His musings were interrupted by the sound of a door opening. A young nurse with brown hair and thick glasses stuck her head into the room.

"Dr. Haruno will be here in a minute, Uchiha-san.", she chimed and disappeared again.

Itachi went into a state of panic. _Dr. Haruno._

He had to get away. He was not ready to face her again and if he didn't disappear right now he surely would make a fool out of himself again.

Assessing the situation, he quickly dismissed the notion of leaving through the door. She could arrive any moment so he might just run into her. There was only the window or the air vents. He was to big for the vents and also didn't know the layout so he had no way out from there. That left only the window. It was small, but he would fit through it.

With that decision made he opened it. It was not big enough for him to crouch on the windowsill and jump off, which was without a doubt a measure to prevent shinobi from fleeing the hospital. Instead, he would have to crawl out face first and then just let himself fall. Not very graceful, but better than being in the same room with Sakura.

He propped himself up on the windowsill, balancing on his stomach. Then he crawled forward.

The next second, he was stuck. Itachi should have seen it coming, should have been used to the failure. He should have taken more time to think because Sasuke had clearly told him that the windows of the examining rooms were added a Justu that prevented people from leaving.

That was when Sakura entered the room.

"Good morning, Itachi-san. How a-", she greeted cheerfully and suddenly stopped. "What are you doing?"

Itachi did not react, instead hid his face in his hands. Not a very Uchiha-like gesture, but he could not care less in that moment.

All he could think about was that he was currently supplying Haruno Sakura with a first row seat to is ass.

Thank god he was not wearing a hospital gown.

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**AN: I can only thank everyone again for the support. I am overjoyed :)**

**This chapter is an attempt to kind of introduce some feelings aside from embarrassment and confusion to the story. Please tell me if that worked, I'm not too sure. **

**Updating everyday is going well until now, I hope I can keep that up! **

**Reviews are very much appreciated! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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Today, Sakura was going to find out what was wrong with Itachi-san. To do so, she made sure that she was his assigned medic for the check-up. After all, she seemed to be the only one to notice his strange behaviour. Nobody else talked about it and Sakura still heard people talking about the _cool and capable_ Uchiha heir.

In a determined pace she entered the room. "Good morning, Itachi-san. How a-", she greeted cheerfully.

She was however not prepared to walk in on him... hanging out the window?

"What are you doing?"

There was no answer, so she waited, all the while staring at his... well his butt. It was a very nice butt, Sakura had to admit, but that didn't change anything about her confusion about Uchiha Itachi actually trying to escape out of the window and getting stuck in the Trap Justu that prevented exactly that from happening.

"Um Itachi-san, I'll pull you back inside okay?", she questioned uncertainly. All the got was a muffled "Okay" as a reply. Why was his voice muffled?

So she grabbed his feet and quickly got him back inside. His face was extremely red, but Sakura guessed that came from handing somehow upside down for too long.

Besides the colour of his face, he looked normal. The expression as unreadable as ever and the air around his just as calm. Sakura stifled a sigh. _"I shouldn't be too surprised that he wanted to escape. Ultimately, it's common for Shinobi."_

"I'm going to start the exam now, Itachi-san. Please take your shirt off.", she instructed. He did as told, although his movements were strangely jerky. Sakura, completely professionally of course, observed that he also had very nice chest and back muscles.

The exam itself went by without problems. There were no obvious health issues that would hinder him in any way, so he would be able to participate in missions just as usual.

"I am going to examine your respiratory system now, please turn around a bit.", Sakura told him while warming the stethoscope with her palm. She walked to stand behind him and put the stethoscope on his back. "Please breathe normally, Itachi-san."

Nothing.

As in, he wasn't breathing. He was also peculiarly tense, maybe there was a problem with his lungs? She threw a few possible diagnoses around in her head that would fit his age. After a while, she noticed he _still_ wasn't breathing.

"Itachi-san, I can't examine you if you're not breathing you know?" she inquired.

He still didn't say anything, but the redness on his face was back, which was now probably a side effect of the lack of oxygen for three minutes, and finally started to breathe normally. He was perfectly fine as it turned out, except the small hitch of breath as she slipped her hands around him to check his chest. Maybe he was ticklish?

Apparently, there was no health-related reason for his mishaps. But then again, she wasn't a reliable judge. For all she knew he could actually be a very clumsy person and just hid it very well. He most reliable source was Sasuke, and if they were in anyway alike Itachi had a brother-complex as well and would avoid showing any kind of weakness to his dear brother.

"Alright, were finished here. Everything is fine so you can go to missions without worry." she reported, filling out the document for his file. "I'll leave you alone, so you can put your shirt back on. Have a nice day, Itachi-san."

With that she left the room. She didn't get too far, before she heard a dull noise, that sounded as if something repeatedly hit against a hard surface.

Strange.

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**AN: Again, my heartfelt thanks to everyone! :)**

**This is not a filler chapter even though there isn't much that's happening, trust me. :D**  
**I plan to introduce Shisui into this story tomorrow, let's see how that'll turn out.**

**Reviews are very much appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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Itachi liked his cousin. Most of the times. He was his best friend. Again, most of the times.

He was like a breath of fresh air, in the stifling atmosphere of the Uchiha clan. In some things, he was just different from the rest of the clan. His cheerfulness was strange. Sure, there were cheerful people in his clan, but there was always the underlying tension of wanting to prove oneself.

But Shisui had the Will of Fire. He loved Konoha with all his heart and would do anything to protect it, just like Itachi himself. Sometimes, Itachi was worried about the extent of his cousins devotion. Worried, that on wrong order would take his Shisui's life away. Because he would die for the sake of the village without a second thought. Itachi knew, he would do the same after all.

As long as Itachi could remember, they had been close. Too close, some people found as they became older.

For all his genius, it had taken Itachi a while to understand what kind of _close_ they meant. But when he did understand, he almost immediately dismissed them. Their opinion was not important and he would not change his relationship with his best friend for such petty reasons.

He could comprehend why they would think that way. Shisui could be a bit... touchy-feely. He was probably the reason Itachi did not have an issue with people touching him, although he found it to quite annoying when done unannounced. Spending time with his cousin would always entail some kind physical contact.

Just like right now, when they took a break from training. Itachi sat, his back propped against a tree with Shisui using his thigh as a pillow. There was nothing remotely romantic about the action, though it might be seen as such by outsiders.

"Ne, Itachi-chan?" Shisui broke the silence in a hushed voice. Itachi only looked at him, displaying he was paying attention.

Shisui broke into a mischievous grin. "You have a crush, don't you?"

Itachi stiffened. There was no use denying it with Shisui. Just like with his mother. So he did not. But he also did not say anything else, just resumed watching the clouds slowly drift by.

"Itachi-chan, don't ignore me!" Shisui's mock annoyed face appeared inches from his own. His arms were placed on either side of Itachi's head, so he completely filled Itachi's field of vision. "You can admit it, you know? I will even help you, you know?" Shisui offered, but the Cheshire grin of his face was not by any means trustworthy.

"I do not require your help.", Itachi plainly stated. He would be fine. Eventually, he would just get over his infatuation and would be able to continue living without humiliation.

"Are you sure, my dear baby cousin? You're so entranced with her you can't even do anything normally anymore, isn't that right?" Shisui's grin widened. "Like tripping over your average kunai or hanging out of a hospital window?"

_He knew._ Shisui knew of his embarrassment. He would never hear the end of it. Itachi sighed. He was about to say something, but as usual, something had to go wrong.

There was a stumbling noise a few meters away and then a voice sounded through the trees. They both turned their heads to the source of the noise, just to find a certain pink haired medic standing there.

"O-oh, I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to...interrupt you. U-um, I'll go n-now." Sakura stuttered, quickly turning around and scrambling away.

After a second of utter silence, Shisui burst our laughing.

"Ooh, what coincidence! There goes your crush, Itachi-chan. Thinking your gay. With your cousin no less. What a time to be alive, you should see your face!" he cackled. Itachi would have shot him death stare, but he was busy trying to process the situation.

He was failing miserably. And his confused expression made Shisui only laugh harder. As time went by, and Itachi still did not show any sign of recovering, he decided to have mercy.

"Don't worry, Ita-chan. I'm sure Sasuke-chan will explain it to her." Shisui remarked before he subsided into a fit of giggles again.

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**AN: I can only repeat myself: Thank you!**

**This might be...different from what you expected Shisui to be. But hey, it's my story.**

**And believe it or nor, this will actually have a semblance of a plot and Shisui will be playing a part in it :D**

**Reviews are very much appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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Apparently, Itachi was gay. Sakura was perplexed. Since when? Didn't he have girlfriends in the past? Wait, was he bisexual?

The very idea of Itachi being with a man made her mind spin in helpless circles. _"How is that possible? I can't even imagine that!" _Sakura pondered. Suddenly, she froze and her head adopted the colour of a tomato. _"Okay wait yes I can. Abort! Abort! What the fuck is wrong with me?" _She was crouching on the floor, hands interlaced over her head and rocking back and forth.

This was the position Sasuke found her in, half an hour later. Frankly, once he saw her he really wanted to leave but Naruto would surely find out about it and he wanted to avoid another talk about the importance of friendship. It wasn't even that Sasuke thought dealing with Sakura would be troublesome, but he was hopeless at giving advice.

Still, he walked over to Sakura, who still didn't notice him and cleared his throat. Her head shot up and she lost her balance, landing harshly on her behind. Her legs probably fell asleep, who knew how long she stayed in that position?

"What's wrong?" he inquired, watching her try to get up and immediately falling down again. She looked at him then, her gaze full of confusion and something else he couldn't make out.

"Sasuke-kun!" she whined. Sasuke knew this tone. This was going to take a while. "Your brother is gay and in an incestuous relationship with his cousin!"

Sasuke stared at her. And stared. She really just said that didn't she?

"No he's not.", he responded finally.

"But I saw him make out with Shisui-san!" she yelled and hid her face again.

Oh. So that was it.

"Sakura." he spoke and waited for her to pay attention to him before he continued. "Itachi is neither gay nor in an incestuous relationship with Shisui. There's no way they would make out. Their relationship is just a bit...touchy-feely. It's mostly Shisui's doing, but I guess they feel comfortable with each other, enough to touch each other, which says a lot. They're both very talented and dedicated Shinobi so they are ready to be tools for the village without second thought. They can't be casual with a lot of people and I think it's really freeing for them to be that close to someone. It is completely platonic and even _if_ they were lovers it would be allowed because Shisui is only our third cousin and his mother comes from outside the clan. There was a lot of talk about that topic some time ago, mostly people being concerned that Itachi wouldn't ever have children if he was gay, since he's clan heir, and people generally disapproving of them being together. The reason they have was also that it would be incest, even though inbreeding has been a much practised custom inside of the clan that only changed during the last few decades, after Konoha was founded."

Sakura was looking at him curiously, her head tilted slightly.

"Sasuke-kun, you really thought a lot about this didn't you? I haven't heard you talk that much since the time when these Genin insulted Naruto."

Sasuke put a hand to his forehead. Of course, she would focus on _that_.

"But I'm glad you explained it to me, thank you!" she beamed. Sasuke thought she was a little too happy about his explanation. And was that relieve in her voice?

Oh well, it wasn't like Sakura was a fangirl. Sure, she had been one once, when she was in love with him, but she was also 12 then and Sasuke believed she had matured since then. She also had no reason to be relieved except if she was jealous.

Wait. Maybe Sakura liked his brother. No, there was no way she did. Sasuke wasn't even sure they even met each other. So it was Shisui she liked? They had met each other in the past when she came over to the Uchiha district and got along just fine. They had the same sense of humour, although Sakura wouldn't admit that out loud, and generally had fun conversing with each other.

Oh gods, no. That couldn't be happening. How was he supposed to react to that. _What would Naruto say if he found out?_

This would certainly become a hassle.

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**AN: I am completely overwhelmed with the response this story gets. Thank you so much. I want to answer to all of your reviews, but with a full-time job that's not really easy! But I'll definitely will! :)**

**Things are getting more complicated and there's no Itachi this time. I'm not exactly content with this chapter, but oh well. **

**Reviews are very much appreciated! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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Today, Sakura was on her way to the Uchiha Compound, more specifically the main house, where Sasuke lived. For some reason she made too much cookies, something that usually didn't happen to her as she was way too much of a perfectionist. But now she did have all those cookies so she brought the excess ones over to her team. Naruto, Sai and Kakashi had already gotten their share, with Sasuke being the only one left.

She briefly thought about the possibility of meeting Uchiha Itachi there, which was something she dreaded since their last awkward encounter, but she had never met him there n all the years she visited Sasuke. So why should she start now?

Baking was a hobby of hers and something she was really good at. She had the perfect recipes for all year. Right now in autumn her cookies were pumpkin spice flavoured and so rich, she couldn't have kept all the ones she made herself. Also her boys loved her baking, so they would never even think of _not _accepting something she made.

Upon arriving at the front door of Sasuke's house, she pondered whether she should just climb through his window and avoid seeing his brother at all costs but quickly decided against it. That would be childish. She would be mature and just pray that Itachi would not be the one to open that door.

Turns out she should have taken the window instead, because there he was, opening the door and looking at her with a tinge of surprise laced in his expression.

"Ah, um hello, Itachi-san." Sakura stuttered, looking anywhere but his face, "I wanted to visit Sasuke?"

"Sasuke is on a solo-mission and will not return until next week." Itachi responded, his voice raspier that usual. Something was also different in the way he stood, it was more slouched, not as graceful.

"Is Mikoto home then?" Sakura questioned. Mikoto as nice to talk with and would be sad if Sakura didn't say hello at least. She glanced at his face. The lines beneath his eyes were also more pronounced.

"My parents are currently visiting Neko-baa and will return tomorrow." He replied,but his eyes gazed far away. Something was definitely wrong with him.

"Itachi-san, are you feeling all right? You don't look so well.." Sakura trailed off when he glared at her. It was the first time he did that. Granted they only knew each other for about three weeks, but she was still strangely mesmerized by the sharpness his eyes suddenly acquired when they seemed so gentle normally. Also, why did he do that? She was just worried!

"I am fine, Sakura-san. Thank you for your concern." he told her politely. Sakura however, now recognized he had a fever. It probably was a normal cold, so he should be fine on his own.

"All right Itachi-san, but please take care. Here are some cookies I baked for Sasuke, could you hand them to him? Oh, feel free to take some if you want!" said Sakura, handing him the metal box.

"I will do that. I shall go back inside then, Sakura-san. Have a nice day." he stated quietly, like it would hurt him to speak any louder.

Sakura felt bad leaving him alone like that, but he was a 24 year old man and certainly could take care of himself. She bid him farewell and turned around to leave. But things didn't go like she expected again and she was startled when something heavy hit her back and would have made her fall if not for her quick reflexes. The cookie box made a clattering noise as it hit the floor and all of her cookies spilled out everywhere. The poor cookies.

It was Itachi leaning against her, who clearly was _not _fine or able to take care of himself, as he was currently out cold, pressed against her much smaller frame. He was burning up and Sakura didn't mean the muscles that she could clearly feel through his shirt. He had a high fever and would require help to recover fast.

As a medic she felt obligated to help him, so she picked Itachi up princess style and carried him into the house. His room wasn't that hard to find as it was opposite to Sasuke's so she lay him on his futon and began to check his vitals.

It was just a common cold but his fever was rather high, so she chose to stay for a while and make sure he wouldn't get up and do something stupid like Shinobi mostly do when they're sick. They thought they were invincible and underestimated the dangers that being sick could bring, let alone the damage that was done to their bodies if they didn't cure properly.

And since Itachi was of the proud/stubborn/stupid Uchiha clan, she most likely would have to physically force him down to rest. His parents would return tomorrow anyway and Sakura had a day off, so she could just watch over him for tonight.

He would just be sleeping anyway, right?

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**AN: Thank you again for the great response this story has gotten! **

**I will not be updating this story for the next two days, because I need to think about the plot that I didn't plan out at all. :D **

**After that you will get a very feverish Itachi that may or may not say something he wouldn't normally say.  
**

**Reviews are very much appreciated! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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During the times of the night when nightmares would shake him awake new-found coldness of the bed would become painfully apparent. He would find Sakura then in the children's room watching the slow rise and fall of their chests, making sure they were safe and sound because the nightmares would plague her too.

On missions, the faintest scent of flowers would create a picture of soft pink and a smile that never failed to put a smile on his face in return and the the soft wind would take him back home to the tender touch of his children when they fell asleep in his lap.

During mornings when she came home after a night shift, exhausted and tired he would make sure the curtains were drawn shut fully so that nothing would disturb her sleep. He would then sneak out with the children to get breakfast at her favourite bakery, stopping by the training grounds where the little ones would enthusiastically show him their progress. Sometimes the images of blood on their soft skin and limbs that stood of in strange angles would bring tears to his eyes and he would bite his lip to get rid of the dread pooled in his stomach when he pictured the years to come.

Those feelings would only last for a fleeting moment, until loud voices begging for attention would steer his mind to scraped knees and childish tears, away from his atrocious past and into the radiant future.

They would return to a sleepily set table and scents of both coffee and cocoa, the children storming ahead to kiss their mothers cheeks like they would do every morning. And she would smile at them, like their very existence mesmerized her to the extent that she would forget to breathe if he did not put a hand on her shoulder and press a kiss onto her head.

In those moments the blood ,the gore and the death would not tighten his chest like they did in solitary moments but small hands would guide him to watch little wonders that opened up in the world of tiny, curious eyes. If he wondered in those moments about his wishes and aspirations, his usually so very capable mind would only draw up with the smile of his wife and the laughter of his children that filled the days he spent in the village.

During dangerous missions, when his heart threatened to stop and his lungs slowly filled with blood, he would fight like a cornered animal, wild and disorganised, while visions of tear streaked faces danced behind his eyes. He would only silently apologize while killing and hold Sakura ea little tighter as soon as he returned, burying his face in her hair.

Every night he would read stories to his children even when his eyes were half closed already and the images of dreams to come brushed against his consciousness. He read stories about life and death and beauty and ugliness. So they would not break when they made their first kill or lost their first precious person, but would look forward with hope and the Will of Fire in their hearts.

And every night, he would return to a warm bed, where his wife waited for him as sleep would only come to her when she smelled her husband's scent and felt his arms around her waist. When they lay like that she would whisper to him about how glad she was that he tripped over that Kunai. If years before mentioning that would make him flush and stutter, it now warmed his chest as he watched her fall asleep in his arms.

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**AN: So much for not updating today, but this doesn't really fit inside the story anyway. I leave it up to you to decide if this is just a feverish dream or a vision of the future. :D **

**I wanted to show that Itachi still had parts of his usual character, as the child who knew death too early and is a pacifist at heart. **

**I kind of attempted to put this into subjunctive mood ( I hope that's the right term)? I'm not sure it worked, so if you know a way to make it better please tell me! :)**

**Reviews are very much appreciated! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Discalimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Okayu is a type of congee that is often served to sick people, because it's easy to eat.**

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Sakura was busying herself in the kitchen. She was not the best at cooking, actually she was mediocre at best, but through taking care of her teammates for so long her Okayu was very good. Certainly, it did not play in a league with Mikoto's cooking, but Itachi would have to deal. She was the only one there for the moment.

She finished cooking and put the used utensil into the sink to wash later. Then she set the Okayu on a tablet together with a spoon and a cup of herbal tea, lifted it up carefully and made her way to Itachi's room.

Itachi was still sleeping, so she silently put the tablet down on the Tatami mat. She checked his temperature, it was still too high, and wiped his forehead with a wet towel. He would have to change out of his clothes later, they were getting too sweaty.

Just when she wanted to leave the room and let him rest some more, Itachi stirred and opened his eyes. He aimlessly looked around for a minute and then their gazes met.

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When Itachi came to, he felt too warm and even after he opened his eyes, he did not feel quite conscious. It was like a haze lying over his mind, making everything slow and uncomfortable. However, he felt strangely good. Content somehow, in a way that he could not explain.

He was in his room, tucked inside his Futon with a glass of water beside him, just within reach. With the way the sun still shone brightly into his room, he concluded it was afternoon. Shuffling alerted him to the presence of another person in the room. He turned around and his eyes met brilliant emerald that sparkled in the light. There was a beautiful face surrounded by softly falling pink hair. _"Sakura"_; Itachi thought confused. What was she doing here? Why did she seem so concerned?

It did not make sense to Itachi so maybe he was still dreaming? It certainly was a beautiful dream, to be cared for by Sakura.

"Itachi-san", Sakura soft voice whispered "Itachi-san, you have to eat something." She leaned forward, her hair brushing along her shoulders. Itachi just smiled, he wished this dream would go on forever. Just being in a room together with her like this was enough. She had such a calming effect with the innocence reflected in her eyes. He knew that she was no stranger to death and pain, but somehow she had kept the light in her eyes that he lost so long ago.

He wondered why she was suddenly so red. It didn't last for long though, Itachi noticed with slight disappointment. He still felt hazy so he barely realised he was asked something.

"Itachi-san, you really have to eat. I'll help you sit up." Sakura's voice sounded again and this time, he heard her.

The Uchiha felt soft, yet strong hands gently grasp his shoulders and then the world has tilting and he felt dizzy for a minute while everything adjusted. Then there was a spoonful of Okayu in front of him. Itachi stared at it.

"Itachi-san, you really do have to eat." pleaded Sakura, and Itachi finally realised that she intended to _feed him._ This could only be a dream, there was no way she would do that for him under any other circumstances. Not that he minded, it was nice somehow because it was her.

So he let himself be fed by her, something he only allowed because this was not reality. When he was finished she handed him a cup of tea that he drank by himself while she left the room and returned with a bowl and a towel. Then she peeked into his drawer and pulled out a shirt.

The pinkette knelt beside him again, her face red again.

"I-Itachi-san, you're sweating a lot. I have to wipe it down for you, so please take off your shirt." she stuttered hastily.

What? Itachi had a hard time grasping the situation, but still pulled the sticky shirt over his head. He knew he could trust her. Sakura quickly wiped down his body with a warm, wet towel. It was refreshing and he immediately felt much better.

Itachi felt very tired all of a sudden. He was sure that if he went to sleep now, Sakura would be gone and when he woke up, she would be unreachable again. At least here he did not embarrass himself. Most of all he wanted to continue to spend time with her, her presence was so soothing and calm that he could forget about his worries.

Impulsively, he wrapped his hands around her waist and laid his head on her legs. Because she was kneeling beside him he had to shuffle around a bit until he lay comfortably. As soon as he was in a position that did not require him to twist any part of his body in a very unhealthy way, he sighed and snuggled a bit deeper into her lap. He felt quite embarrassed, but she did not protest. Then again, why would she. This was his dream.

So it should be okay for him to tell her what he had wanted to say for weeks, should it not? This was probably his only chance to ever do it.

"You're beautiful." he mumbled, much quieter than he wanted to say it.

Before sleep came over him again, he thought how nice it would be, if he could one day do this while awake.

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Sakura was not prepared for this. Her head was on fire and she hadn't breathed since Itachi's strong arms wrapped around her middle. And then proceeded to lay _shirtless _on her lap. Who knew he was one to cuddle? This was the third time he made her blush today. The first time, he just smiled at her, a smile that made her feel like the most beautiful being alive. It was really too much, no wonder he had such a large group of loyal fangirls.

Sakura wondered if she should just wake him up again and tell him to lie down again. And she wondered who he was calling beautiful. It could not be her, could it? Surely not, she had seen the girls that liked him and they were much more beautiful than her. He most likely had a girlfriend anyway. Plus, he seemed confused the whole time he was awake. The fever was affecting his decisions, nothing else.

She really felt guilty. What if his girlfriend came to visit him and found him in a position like that. Still, she could not bring herself to wake him up again. He looked so very peaceful like this, his lips softly lifted at the ends in a hint of a smile.

Sakura hesitated, but then put her hand softly on his head, that was still hot with fever and started softly stroking his hair. He seemed to like it, as he sighed and tightened his hold on her a bit.

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**AN: Okay, you guys are awesome. I am so so happy that this story has already over a hundred reviews. I did not expect this story to receive such great feedback and I am grateful to anyone who reviewed or followed this story or added it to their favourites! **

**I'm also sorry for not updating yesterday even though I wanted to. I watched the wrong Anime and my mood ended up being the vastly different from the one I needed to write a cute and fluffy chapter like this :D**

**Adorkable!Itachi will return tomorrow when he realises that this was not a dream at all. And there will be more Shisui! **

**Reviews are very much appreciated! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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Shisui practically skipped down the road that led from his house to the main mansion of the district, where the clan head and his family lived. He saw Sakura walk through the Uchiha compound yesterday, so something fun was bound to happen.

"_Ahh, seeing my dear cousin all flustered and embarrassed is so much fun!"_ he thought, grinning to himself.

He rounded a corner and jumped into the wall surrounding the mansion, where he knew Itachi's room lay behind. The house was quiet, Fugaku, Mikoto and Sasuke were all out of town right now. But even then Itachi was usually up at this hour doing Katas in the garden. He listened for a bit and eventually heard a shuffling sound in Itachi's room. Was he still asleep? Did something embarrassing happen and he was running away from the world?

Excited, Shisui stormed into his cousins room, just to stop dead in his tracks at the sight that met him.

There was Sakura. Sitting on the Tatami with a shirtless Itachi draped over her lap. She looked highly uncomfortable, with dark under-eye circles and an overall ruffled appearance. She hadn't noticed him yet but was squirming and shuffling around, trying to disengage Itachi's arms from her waist.

It was hilarious to look at and it was all Shisui could do not to burst out laughing. A small snicker broke free though and Sakura's head snapped up and met his eyes with a look of pure desperation, tears threatening to spill any moment now.

"Help me!", she pleaded and quickly added, "I have to go the toilet since at least 4 hours ago but he won't let go. It must be the fever, because he also won't wake up either, no matter what I do!"

That did it. Shisui fell to the floor laughing, momentarily unable to answer Sakura's outraged cry of "Don't laugh, you shithead!". He rarely heard her swear in everyday conversation so it must be worse than he thought. As fast as he could, which wasn't very fast at all, he got up, sat beside Sakura and gently pried Itachi off from Sakura and onto his own lap.

Sakura was gone with a speed that rivalled his own, and he was after all known as Shunshin no Shisui. He stared down at his cousin and shook his head and grinned, amused at his antics.

"Ita-chan, you know, it's not nice to hold on to someone when they have to go to the toilet so bad, no matter how embarrassed you are.", he scolded.

Itachi stiffened. Of course he was awake, not even with a fever the ANBU captain would sleep through all this noise. He would never say anything though, as Sakura was still inside his house. This was gonna be fun.

"I mean, it's fine that you enjoyed this rather _intimate position_, but you shouldn't engage in such a situation if you can't bring yourself to face her after you did. You can't fool me, Ita-chan. I know _exactly_ what happened.", Shusui practically sang.

He could feel Itachi sigh. His cousin wouldn't be able to do or say anything for the moment, so he resigned himself to endure.

"You got sick, Sakura noticed that and being the wonderful medic and person she is, took care of you since you were alone at home. Then you probably thought something stupid like it was all a dream and just snuggled up to her." Shisui said. Itachi just produced a strangled "Hn".

"Then when you woke up, feeling all better and very contended in the lap of your crush, and quit making these sounds as if to tell me it's not true Ita-chan, I know it is. Anyway, you woke up feeling all fluffy and when you realised that you weren't dreaming you freaked out. Albeit the Uchiha way, meaning your mind froze and you decided to just wait it out. That was fine until she decided it was time for you to let go, _because you didn't want to._", those last words were nearly purred and Shisui snickered to himself.

Itachi had just buried himself a bit deeper into his lap. It was adorable, really. But oh no, Shisui was not finished yet.

"And that, Ita-chan, is how you ended up clinging to poor Sakura-chan who was just trying not to pee herself, which makes this whole situation a lot less romantic if you ask me. And all that just because the grand Uchiha heir is to shy to ask someone out", Shisui finished his teasing for now.

Itachi still lay frozen on his legs. But by the way his arms loosened and tightened around his waist, Shisui knew that he home with every sentence. Ah, his baby cousin was helpless in things related to any kind of romantic love, so he needed a little help. Not that Shisui would tell Itachi that, hell no, as a Shinobi Itachi was still stronger than him and the elder cousin could imagine a lot of things more fun than being trapped in a Tsukuyomi for three days, as a punishment for interfering.

"_Just lucky, that subtleness is my forte"_, Shisui thought and smirked evilly.

Sakura returned at that moment and he quickly schooled his expression to his normal, cheerful one. Sakura looked much better, the tension had left her shoulders and she probably cleaned up a little judging by the time she spent inside the bathroom.

"Thank you, Shisui-san! You really saved me there. Who knew Itachi-san is such a heavy sleeper? Ahh, I nearly died there." Sakura remarked. Shisui noted her cheeks were a rather interesting shade of pink. Maybe his cousin wasn't so incapable after all.

"I'm going home now, since you are here. Please make sure he stays hydrated and eats something. His fever is almost gone but please call me or visit the hospital if it rises my more that 3° again." Sakura instructed, having switched into medic-mode.

She gathered her things from the floor and draped them over her arm. Then she looked at Shisui and Itachi again. The medic didn't freak out this time, so didn't assume his cousin and himself to be in a relationship anymore.

She said goodbye to Shisui, and asked him to convey her greetings to Itachi, who she still thought to be asleep.

"I would be cautious, Sakura-chan. You're leaving a men's house early in the morning, looking like you didn't get an ounce of sleep. People might get ideas. And you know that in spite of their stoicism, Uchihas _love _to gossip.", Shisui couldn't resist calling after her, when she was about to leave the room.

A good decision, as Itachi stiffened even more and Sakura's face resembled a tomato with a dishevelled pink wig. She stared for a second and then stuttered:"Ah, um, yeah, alright, thanks" and stumbled out of the room.

There were a few minutes of quiet, that Shisui used to marvel at the beauty of the morning. The birds were chiming cheerful songs, and in the distance one could faintly make out the sounds of a morning market.

"Don't you want to get up, Ita-chan?", Shisui inquired casually, not looking down but continuing to observe the garden.

"Hn.", was the only answer he got.

"_That's a no."_, Shisui thought and looked down.

Itachi was still burying his face, but Shisui could still clearly make out the same shade of red that Sakura was sporting earlier.

Ah, those two were perfect for each other.

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**AN: Your reviews make me so happy, thank you! :)**

**I really love Shisui, his character is so much fun to write :D I also think if I write Itachi any more embarrassed, he'll become Mikoshiba Mikoto from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun... **

**I also can't guarantee daily updated until September because I'm moving and there's so much to do. But I'll give my best! :)**

**Reviews are very much appreciated! :)**


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